siouxrunner

I wish they would use the organ more often

Marto for Hobey - '08-'09

The article is actually by Kevin Fee...although this seems like Virg's territory...

good point...but that's another story

I think we have seen with the current situation of the NHL that the "number one issue" with both the owners AND the players association is money. You don't see the NHLPA demanding that there be mandatory face protection, but you do see them demanding no salary cap, high signing bonuses, etc. The fans understand that their favorite players could be hurt at any time, be it a stick or puck to the face, or a broken leg. If they care enough, they still follow the team...would you quit buying tickets to Sioux games if Stafford got injured? I really don't think that requiring everyone in the NHL to wear a facemask is going to help merchandise sales either. Hockey players are not stupid (an exception could be made for the Gophers), they know the risks. You say there is a decrease in the level of play for the team when a key player gets hurt, but I think that at the pro level, you would see a greater decrease in the level of play if players were required to wear masks.

This was my favorite goal of the year...I wish it could have been against a WCHA team

Why do you think it is that players don't carry the same amount of respect for eachother that they once did? I think this is true as well, and can't really put my finger on a reason why... Also, do you think that in leagues like the WCHA, allowing fighting again would improve the level of respect between players?

UND students who have parents working at/for the University do not go to school for free. They have to pay tuition and fees just like everyone else.

First, I wish Nick a full and speedy recovery. I truly feel he has the skills to play for a long time at the professional level. Having played hockey both with a full facemask and without any mask, I would play with no mask at all if given the choice. I guess I might consider wearing a half-shield, but I've never used one, so I'd have to try it first. Playing without a mask improves your vision on the ice immensely. I know, you don't really see the mask when you're playing, but once you take it off, you can really tell that there is a big difference. It would be my guess that most of UND's team would wear either a half-shield or no mask if given the chance. Also, I have to say I disagree that mandating half-shields would be worth the effort, even if it meant more high-stick play. While the shields obviously provide protection, the number of eye injuries would most likely be higher than it is now, just because players would be more careless with their sticks up high. If hockey officials (league reps, etc.) required the players to wear shields, fewer players would choose to play in that league, and the quality of play would be less. Also, I believe it would encourage more illegal and reckless stick work because A) the players will think they can't hurt others with high sticks and therefore be more careless, and B) because they won't have to deal with getting hit in the face by the retaliation (high-stick, punches, etc.) if they stick someone on purpose. Players at the elite level, like Nick, know the risks of choosing not to wear a facemask. They may feel pressured to not wear a mask because of pressure from others on the team, but ultimately, wearing one or not is the decision of the individual. The choice should be left up to the individual player, not mandated by the league that player belongs to.

Parise has been great lately, and although I still think Phil is the best goaltender on the team, there's nothing like having a hot goalie going into the playoffs. Jordan will be the key for the Sioux this weekend...and through the Final Five, if he can stay hot.

I realize that I'm not a part of this "conversation," but if you are going to correct someone's grammar, it is best to use proper grammar yourself. And really guys, it's just high school hockey. Why does everyone have to be so angry? Does it really matter who has "done more" for amateur hockey in the state?

I was curious about this last year... I actually timed how long the ball was in play during last year's superbowl. I was pretty generous with the stopwatch, and over the 5 hour span it took to complete the game, the ball was actually in play for only 14 minutes and some odd seconds. With the longest plays being the punts/kicks, the offense and defense are each only "playing" for around 7 minutes. That being said...Pats 27, Eagles 13

Chappell would be great to have for the sioux, but I don't think he should be given track money to help the football team. In the past few years, we have had some great athletes play football and participate in track...but unfortunately for track & field, spring ball takes precedence over competing in outdoor track. Why should the track team use any of its limited scholarship money for someone who doesn't even go to meets? Also, the football team tends to bulk up its players, and Ryan would probably add weight - which would increase his times. Examples: Last year Donovan Alexander had a good indoor season. Had he kept running, he may have been able to provisionally qualify for outdoor nationals. But, instead of running, he played spring football and didn't compete outdoors. Josh Haugan threw for a school record in the weight throw indoor, but didn't compete at all outdoor because of spring ball. Chappell's main events in track would be the 400 hurdles, and 200/400m dash. His skills wouldn't be fully realized just by running indoor track, so why give a scholarship to someone that can't commit to the team. If Chappell comes here, he should pick one sport and stick with it. There have been very few athletes in the past that can truly excel in both track and football (Norm McGee comes to mind), and he will most likely choose football. Watching what Dressler does this spring will be interesting to see. Great runner, but he probably won't run outdoor....it would be nice to see him at practice though.

The UND women's cross country team qualified for the nationals this weekend at the North Central Regional meet in Vermillion, SD. The team finished 5th in a field of over 20 teams. What makes the finish so amazing was the circumstances under which it happened. UND's top runner, who was running in the top 20 at the time, collapsed about 250 meters from the finish line. She struggled to get back to her feet, stumbled, and fell again. She was able to find enough strength and courage to walk the rest of the way to the finish. Most of the time, when a team's top runner has a poor race, or has medical problems during the race, the team score is dramatically affected. The Sioux women were able to overcome the loss of their top runner with one of the strongest team performances I've ever seen in any sport. Their captain, Kristin Murch, led the Sioux across the line. They defeated many of the best teams in the country, even without their top runner. I run on the men's team, and I was able to watch the race in its entirety. It was amazing. The Sioux travel to Evansville, IN later this month for NCAA's.

how does using an olympic ice sheet add enjoyment for the fans?

it would be great to have a banked track, no question if UND wanted an exact replica of what we would be running on in competition, we would install a flat track. the only place UND competes on a banked track is in boston at NCAAs. all the teams in the region that we compete against have a flat track. the football team doesn't practice in the parking lot, but they don't practice indoors on artificial turf either. they use the grass field next to memorial stadium, so it seems that they aren't practicing on an exact replica of their home games. if UND were to build an indoor track, we would build a 300m track, in order to fit about 80 yards of field in the interior, which eliminates the "need" for banked corners. i have seen some pretty fast times run on a 200m flat track...it doesn't need to have banked corners.

technically speaking, indoor and outdoor track are two different sports. this is a fairly new separation, as the ncaa started funding both separately only a couple years ago i didn't say that it wasn't a separate season. what i'm saying is that if you don't have a place to practice effectively from november through march, you aren't going to be able to compete at a high level throughout the entire track season. it isn't like you can just come to march at the start of the outdoor season, touch your toes, and go out and qualify for nationals... moving on, you are wrong on a couple points here. you can compete and qualify for the national meet on a 300 m indoor track, which, last time i checked was not EXACTLY 200m. 200m ovals DO NOT have such a tight bend radius that you need to have a banked track. banked tracks are nice to have, but usually are only implemented in competition facilities. UND would probably be better off using a flat track if it was going to be designed mainly as a practice facility.

any functional indoor track would help UND. the only other teams in the NCC with decent indoor tracks (until a few years ago when mankato built a new one) were USD and St. Cloud. USD has consistently put out good runners, but most of them have been distance runners who don't need to work out inside. NDSU dominated in track for many years because they had a place to train in the winter. It doesn't have to be a state-of-the-art track...it just has to be at least 200m, oval, and indoors. the BSA easily qualifies for all three. UND has Hyslop, with only 160m, tight corners, crowded floor, etc. when you can't practice effectively, you can't compete effectively. that's why NDSU was good.

i like the idea of playing jordan and phil one game each, in that order. personally, it scares me every time someone shoots on jake brandt. he is one of the shakiest goalies i've ever seen. i think we lost a great future netminder (ziggy) last year because he didn't get any pt. lammy has been one of the best goalies (if not the best) in the ushl over the past two years. i think he deserves a shot (no pun intended) at stopping maine this weekend. our defense will be stellar again, and they will shut down maine. my predictions... SIOUX 4 - MAINE 2 SIOUX 3 - MAINE 1